How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Missouri: Requirements, Steps, and Costs

To become a real estate appraiser in Missouri, you register as a trainee with the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission, complete 87 hours of qualifying education for applications on or after January 1, 2026, pass a fingerprint background check, and log supervised experience before you sit for the national exam through PSI, the state's exam vendor. The state charges a $300 application fee, and experience minimums run from 1,000 hours for the State Licensed credential to 3,000 hours for Certified General. This guide covers what Missouri adds to the national path every state shares.

The national path in brief

The route to an appraiser credential is the same in every state: choose a credential, complete qualifying education, log supervised experience or complete PAREA, pass the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, and apply to your state regulator. The national guide, "How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser: Steps, Requirements, and Costs," explains each step in full. Missouri adopts the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) criteria directly by rule, with separate sections for the 2018 and 2026 criteria in the state's education rules, 20 CSR 2245-6^[1]. What follows is only what Missouri adds: its trainee registration, its supervision rules, its exam vendor and fees, its renewal cycle, and its rules for out-of-state appraisers.

What appraiser credentials Missouri issues

Missouri issues the three federally recognized appraiser credentials plus a required trainee registration, and the credential you target sets your experience requirement and the assignments you may accept. The commission's applicant requirements pages^[2] publish the details for each level: State Licensed (the Licensed Residential credential), Certified Residential, and Certified General. You register as a trainee before you can log any experience hours, and the trainee requirements page^[3] supplies the application package.

Trainees do not appear on the Appraiser Registry maintained by the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC), the federal database of appraisers eligible for federally related transactions, because the trainee level is not federally recognized (the ASC's FAQ^[4]). As of the ASC's 2025 compliance review, Missouri had 1,883 state-credentialed appraisers on the registry (the ASC's Missouri compliance review^[5]).

One limit matters early in your planning: FHA work. Effective October 1, 2008, only state-certified appraisers may apply for the Federal Housing Administration's Appraiser Roster, so the State Licensed credential alone does not qualify you for FHA assignments (the commission's state licensed applicant page^[2]).

Register as a trainee with the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission

You submit a trainee application with the $300 fee, proof of qualifying education, and fingerprints for a criminal background check, using the state's MOPRO online portal or paper forms.

For applications postmarked on or after January 1, 2026, qualifying education totals 87 hours: 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Procedures, the 15-Hour National USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) course, the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course, and a 4-hour Missouri Supervisor/Trainee course (Missouri regulation 20 CSR 2245-6.018^[6]). Applications through December 31, 2025 required 79 hours. The 4-hour supervisor course is Missouri's addition beyond the 83-hour national package for 2026.

The trainee application package includes the Trainee Supervision Memo, the application form, a Voluntary Review form, the Appraisal Experience Field and Review Sheet, the Trainee Experience Log, and a Mass Appraisal Trainee Experience Log (the commission's trainee forms page^[3]).

Missouri requires a criminal background check with fingerprint submission for appraiser applicants under section 339.510 of the Revised Statutes, chapter 339^[7], effective August 28, 2025. The fingerprint fee is set by the Missouri State Highway Patrol or its approved vendor, so it does not appear on the commission's fee schedule (the commission fee schedule^[8]). A past criminal record does not automatically end the process: under section 324.012.7 RSMo, the Fresh Start Act, you can request a determination of whether the record disqualifies you before spending money on coursework and fees (the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission home page^[9]).

The commission launched the MOPRO online licensing portal on January 14, 2025 for applications, renewals, fee payments, and tracking of supervision and continuing education hours (the commission home page^[9]).

Plan for patience after you file. The ASC's 2025 compliance review^[5] noted that the seven-member commission had four vacancies and was meeting under the Rule of Necessity, conditions that risked slower application and complaint processing. Missouri publishes no standard processing time.

Who can supervise a Missouri trainee

A Missouri supervising appraiser may not supervise more than three trainee registrants at one time, and a trainee may work under more than one supervising appraiser. Missouri regulation 20 CSR 2245-3.005^[10], effective July 30, 2007, also sets who qualifies to supervise: the appraiser must hold a Missouri certification in good standing, must not have been subject to revocation, suspension, or probation within the last 3 years, and must not be employed by the trainee. The supervisor must complete an approved supervisor/trainee course before supervising, the same course the trainee completes within the qualifying education hours.

Experience hours each Missouri credential requires

Missouri requires 1,000 hours of appraisal experience over at least 6 months for the State Licensed credential, 1,500 hours over at least 12 continuous months for Certified Residential, and 3,000 hours over at least 18 continuous months for Certified General. All experience must be logged while working with a certified real estate appraiser (the state licensed applicants page^[2], the certified residential applicants page^[11], and the certified general applicants page^[12]).

For Certified General, at least 1,500 of the 3,000 hours must be appraisal of non-residential properties (the certified general applicants page^[12]).

Does Missouri accept PAREA instead of supervised experience?

Yes. Missouri regulations effective October 30, 2023 allow applicants to complete the requirements of PAREA as the Appraiser Qualifications Board implements it (the commission home page^[9]). PAREA (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal) is a virtual training program that stands in for the supervisor/trainee experience model, and The Appraisal Foundation's overview^[13] lists it for the Licensed Residential and Certified Residential levels, where it can cover up to 100% of the required experience hours. Certified General applicants can earn partial credit, but PAREA awards no non-residential experience hours.

The Missouri appraiser exam runs through PSI

Missouri administers its appraiser examinations through PSI Services LLC, not Pearson VUE, and each exam costs $140. Candidates register at test-takers.psiexams.com/morap or by phone at 855-746-8173, and registration fees are not refundable or transferable (PSI's Missouri candidate bulletin^[14]).

Missouri test sites include Cape Girardeau, Carthage, Gladstone, Jefferson City, Kansas City, Kirksville, Springfield, St. Louis, and West Plains, plus Olathe, Kansas. You can reschedule without forfeiting the fee up to 2 days before the appointment; a missed appointment forfeits it. Bring your own financial calculator, with the written manual if it is programmable, and arrive at least 30 minutes early with a valid government-issued photo ID (PSI's candidate bulletin^[14]).

One state deadline deserves attention. In April 2025 the commission approved a rule amendment stating that an applicant has 24 months to pass the examination from the date of initial approval to sit for it, and a failure to do so requires the applicant to reapply for licensure (the ASC's compliance review^[5]).

What licensing costs in Missouri

Missouri's state fees are fixed and non-refundable: $300 to apply at any credential level and $300 to renew a license or certification. The commission fee schedule^[8] sets the rest.

Beyond the state fees, the Appraisal Subcommittee charges a National Registry fee of $40 per year, which states collect with new credentials and renewals, so a two-year renewal transmits $80 (the Federal Register notice on the registry fee^[15]). The registry is the database lenders use to verify that an appraiser holds a real estate appraiser license eligible for federally related transactions, and a new credential can take 30 to 35 days to appear in it (the Appraisal Subcommittee's FAQ^[4]).

Renewal, continuing education, and what happens if your license expires

Missouri appraisers renew on a common two-year cycle, and each renewal, for trainees as well as licensed and certified appraisers, requires 28 hours of continuing education. Under Revised Statutes of Missouri section 339.525^[16], you must file the renewal application and fee not earlier than 120 days and not later than 30 days before your expiration date, with evidence of completed continuing education.

If a license expires, you may renew it within 2 years by paying the renewal fee plus a delinquent fee of $50 per month, capped at $600, and the commission may waive the delinquent fee for extenuating circumstances. A license not renewed within 2 years of expiration is void (RSMo 339.525^[16]). A former licensee no longer regularly engaged in appraisal work can hold an inactive license for a $50 renewal (the commission fee schedule^[8]).

Continuing education follows the hours the Appraiser Qualifications Board prescribes (RSMo 339.530^[17]), and Missouri regulations require every licensee to complete the 7-hour USPAP Update Course, or its equivalent, during each renewal cycle (the ASC's compliance review^[5]).

Trainees moved onto a renewal cycle of their own under the 2026 criteria changes. All trainees receive licenses expiring June 30, 2026, renew every two years beginning in June 2026, must complete the continuing education requirement before renewal, and pay a $25 renewal fee. A trainee who fails to renew within 90 days of expiration has the license voided and must reapply under the requirements then in effect (the commission home page^[9]).

Reciprocity and the temporary practice permit

Missouri handles out-of-state appraisers two ways: reciprocity applications through the commission for a full Missouri credential, and a temporary practice permit that costs $150 and runs for 6 months per assignment. Every applicant, including reciprocity applicants, must undergo the fingerprint background check (the commission's reciprocity page^[18]).

The temporary practice permit works per assignment. You print, complete, and notarize the Temporary Practice Form, then submit the original forms to the commission before you begin the Missouri assignment (the commission's temporary practice page^[19]). The commission does not require a letter of good standing from your current state if you are listed in good standing on the National Registry at asc.gov. Between August 2021 and February 2025, the commission processed 965 temporary practice permits (the ASC's compliance review^[5]).

Start with the commission's own pages

Your first moves all happen on the commission's website, in this order. Open the trainee requirements page^[3] and confirm the current application package. Check the commission's active pre-license course listings to confirm that any real estate appraiser course you are considering is state-approved (the commission home page^[9]). Create a MOPRO account and file your trainee application with the fee and fingerprints. If you have a criminal record, request the Fresh Start Act determination before you file, so you know your eligibility before you pay anything. Once registered, line up a supervisory appraiser who meets Missouri's supervision limits, because your experience hours accrue only under approved supervision.